Information for record number MWA665:
Possible Roman Kiln 500m N of Rye Grass Hill, Fenny Compton.

Summary Documentary evidence, together with concentrations of pottery debris on the ground, suggest that there was a Roman kiln in this area, 1km south east of Fenny Compton.
What Is It?  
Type: Pottery Kiln, Kiln
Period: Romano-British (43 AD - 409 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Fenny Compton
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 42 51
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

 
Source Number  

1 Much pottery (Samian, pelves, grey-blue common ware, etc) was found in 1881 in draining the 'Great Grounds', a field about half a mile south of the village on the lane to Farnborough fields; some pieces resembled wasters from a kiln.
2 Local enquiries failed to locate Great Ground.
3 The name Great Ground has now disappeared, but it has been suggested that the two large fields called Home Ground were once called Great Ground. The fields were walked after they were ploughed. An extensive scatter of stone and pottery was recorded at SP4251. These were sherds of Roman grey ware, tile and Late and Post Medieval pottery (MWA 6168). It seems probable that the Romano-British site is not far away.
4 Reference
3 records the VCH as mentioning a tile kiln, but I can find no trace of a mention of anything other than a pottery kiln.
5
6 The 1881 observation of material by E R Knott in draining a field has been recorded as a possible kiln site of Roman date in national gazetteers of the monument type.
 
Sources

Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 1, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Doubleday H A & Page W (eds)
Date: 1904
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 1
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Internet Data
Title: The Pottery Kilns of Roman Britain
Author/originator: Vivien G Swan & Andrew Peachey
Date: 2014
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Monograph
Title: The Pottery Kilns of Roman Britain
Author/originator: Vivien G Swan
Date: 1984
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: M40 Survey, Parish of Fenny Compton
Author/originator: Usher H, Southam District Local History Society
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: OS Card, 15SE2
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1968
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 15SE2
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: R.C. Hingley personal comments
Author/originator: R C Hingley
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source OS Card Ordnance Survey Record Card. Before the 1970s the Ordnance Survey (OS) were responsible for recording archaeological monuments during mapping exercises. This helped the Ordnance Survey to decide which monuments to publish on maps. During these exercises the details of the monuments were written down on record cards. Copies of some of the cards are kept at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. The responsibility for recording archaeological monuments later passed to the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments. back
source VCH The Victoria County History of the Counties of England. This publication covers the history of each county in England. For Warwickshire, seven volumes were published between 1904 and 1964. They comprise a comprehensive account of the history of each town and village in the county, and important families connected to local history. Each volume is organised by 'hundred', an Anglo-Saxon unit of land division. The Victoria County History also contains general chapters about Warwickshire's prehistory, ecclesiastical and economic history. A copy of each volume is held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique Documentary Evidence Documentary evidence is another name for written records. The first written records in Britain date back to the Roman period. Documentary evidence can take many different forms, including maps, charters, letters and written accounts. When archaeologists are researching a site, they often start by looking at documentary evidence to see if there are clues that will help them understand what they might find. Documentary evidence can help archaeologists understand sites that are discovered during an excavation, field survey or aerial survey. back
period Roman About 43 AD to 409 AD (the 1st century AD to the 5th century AD)

The Roman period comes after the Iron Age and before the Saxon period.

The Roman period in Britain began in 43 AD when a Roman commander called Aulus Plautius invaded the south coast, near Kent. There were a series of skirmishes with the native Britons, who were defeated. In the months that followed, more Roman troops arrived and slowly moved westwards and northwards.
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period Post Medieval About 1540 AD to 1750 AD (the 16th century AD to the 18th century AD)

The Post Medieval period comes after the medieval period and before the Imperial period.

This period covers the second half of the reign of the Tudors (1485 – 1603), the reign of the Stuarts (1603 – 1702) and the beginning of the reign of the Hannoverians (1714 – 1836).
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monument VILLAGE * A collection of dwelling-houses and other buildings, usually larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a simpler organisation and administration than the latter. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument KILN * A furnace or oven for burning, baking or drying. Use specific type where known. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument POTTERY KILN * A structure, composed of oven and hovel, used for the firing of pottery ware. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument TILE KILN * A structure in which pottery tiles were baked. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record